After the second best race weekend of the 2023 Formula 1 season in Austria in terms of points, the question arises: has Ferrari really made any progress? But Carlos Sainz does not want to make a final judgment on this yet. Before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, he simply says “We don’t know.”
It is still too early to assess whether the Ferrari form of the past few weeks could become a trend or not. “I guess it might need a slightly more open route with more wind to be able to evaluate it better. A course like Silverstone,” says Sainz.
Windy conditions have so far caused “problems” for Ferrari, specifically in Miami and Baku and intensified over the race distance, the Ferrari driver continues. “So we just need more feedback on the car to assess our progress and our updates.”
“But what I can say: The car felt better in Austria, both over one lap and over the race distance. On the other hand, we were also very fast in Austria last year. That’s why I’m still cautious and let the season continue move forward before I do my analysis.”
However, he was “proud” of how Ferrari was handling the situation, because his team had recently used “many updates” for the SF-23. Much of it goes back to the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, which showed Ferrari “where the weaknesses of the car lie,” said Sainz. He “tried a few things” there that would have brought important insights. But he doesn’t go into detail.
Sainz also does not want to say anything about any new set-up. He could “neither confirm nor deny that,” says the Ferrari driver. Postscript: “Maybe in private, but certainly not in public.”
Sainz thinks Ferrari is on course
Ferrari got a “rather clear development direction” through the race weekend in Barcelona. “I think it’s paying off now. We’re on the right track. I’m pretty sure of that,” says Sainz.
“Have we made the tack? I’d like to believe that. But like I said, I think we need more data, especially a weekend with a lot of wind, even if that means we have more problems again.”
Where exactly are the Ferrari weaknesses
Because Ferrari has not yet analyzed exactly what slows it down compared to Red Bull: Is it just the standard Pirelli tires or does the balance of the SF-23 have something to do with it?
Sainz believes in “a connection” between the factors mentioned and continues: “But I don’t think we’re doing anything specific wrong with the tires. It’s more a matter of how our car behaves in the race in the wind and what instabilities These inconsistencies have an impact on our race pace, but also on tire wear.”
“The more often the car swerves, the worse the tire balance. We struggle with that. But it was much better in Austria.”
Dirty air becomes a problem for Ferrari
In principle, Ferrari must also deal with the behavior of the vehicle in dirty air, i.e. when chasing a car in front. This is because the efficiency of the SF-23 is “quite badly affected,” says Sainz. “You can see that there are many construction sites that we have to get under control.”
After all, progress has already been made in terms of top speed, although Ferrari is “not yet at the level of Red Bull”, said Sainz. “But at least we were [in Österreich] not last in the fast corners like in Barcelona. That’s good.”
“We understood it well and brought in good updates. If we can continue to do this and keep going in this direction, then hopefully we can turn the tide in our season.”